Elderly Americans are carrying more credit card debt, according to a new survey.

The survey reports the main reason is due to job loss and medical bills, not because of a lack of financial responsibility.

The study looked at 997 middle-income households that were carrying credit card debt for at least three months. Of the respondents, households age 50 and older had an average credit card balance of $8,278 compared to an average debt of $6,258 for households under age 50.